o be read," went on Mr Caldwell.

"Is it indeed? Had she much property? She was a decent saving body.
And who is to get it? Not that you can know, however, till the will is
opened."

"I know, having been consulted about the making of it; but that is
neither here nor there at the present moment. What I mean to say is
this: Being one of the executors of that will, I shall have to be in Mr
Bethune's office this morning, and so, Mr Philip, you will need to
attend to the business we were speaking of last night yourself, in case
I should be detained beyond my time."

"All right!" said Philip, looking up from his paper.

"And you were consulted about the making of the poor body's will, were
you?" said Mrs Caldwell, who was by no means so silent a member of the
family as her husband. "And you were made executor, and all--and you
never mentioned it. Not that _that_ is a matter for surprise, however,"
added she, reconsidering the subject. "I dare say he will be ready to
tell us all about it by dinner time, though no mortal power could make
him open his lips this morning. Well, I hope whoever gets the money
will get the good of it, though why they should have been kept out of it
a whole year, I cannot see. I hope that was not by your advice. But
dear! dear! money often does more harm than good, for all so hard as we
strive for it."

"It will do good this time--there is no fear," said Mr Caldwell,
rising. "It has not been striven for, nor expected, and there is not
too much of it just for comfort, and--it will open the way."

The last words struck Philip as familiar, and looking up he caught the
eye of Mr Caldwell, who nodded and smiled, as though he ought to
understand the whole matter by this time.

"There need be no more waiting now," said he, but whether he meant for
himself or for Mr Philip, or for some one else, he did not say.

"All right!" said Philip, at a venture; and though he heard no more of
the matter, and was too busy all day to give it a thought, he was not
surprised, when he went, at night, to the bridge house, to hear that
there was news awaiting him; but he was a little surprised at the nature
of the news. It was Violet who told him. The children were gone out,
and David was, for the moment, in his mother's room, and only Frank was
with Violet when Philip came in. For this time she was quite free from
the "proper" and "dignified" air of which Jem used to accuse her where
Philip was concerne